remodeling bathtub and wall

Hi
we are thinking about remodeling our bathroom. The grout in our tub area is falling in.. behind the wall.. so therefore.. I'm sure water is getting behind that wall. We would like to replace the bathtub too. It's beige.. yuck! LOL
Anyway.. I'm trying to find something that will be easy to keep clean and mold/mildew free, hopefully something "green" aka natural, and not that expensive. The house we live in is very modest and small. Also this material would need to be durable as in the future we are thinking that we will rent this house out.

"green" applied to a product automatically means $$$$$ because those wacko fringe people are greedy capitalists like the rest of us!

"natural" stone today is largely granite mined in 3rd world countries by slave and child labor.

A recommendation for a long lasting, relatively easy to maintain shower: glazed ceramic tile. 4" tiles with very tiny grout lines. VERY good ventilation in the bathroom area will do more for mildew prevention than anything else you could do.

Go over to www.johnbridge.com and enter their tiling forum. Lots of ideas and help. You could read there for days and still be learning. Once you've got a few ideas and searched their "Liberry", ask some questions and they'll set you along a straight path.

A good install is all about proper preparation and attention to details. The materials don't have to be expensive to last and look decent. When it comes to tile, more expensive usually gives you better quality control (read consistency), but depending on the design, that may not be really important if you are doing it yourself. A pro needs to work fast to make any money, and doesn't like to work with low-end products, but if you do it yourself, you can search for just the right piece and take your time. Still easier to use better materials, and not all low-end pieces are inferior.

We also had similar problems: chipped bathtub and nasty ceramic tile on the wall with grout that was breaking away. I tried, over the years, to replace the grout but it never worked. I hated the pinkish-color tile anyway...

Our solution was to hire Bathfitters to come in and cover the existing tub and ceramic tiled wall (clear to the ceiling, too) with an acrylic cover. Unfortunately, this was mucho expensive...like, hugely expensive...but it's done and it looks fantastic! In short, the existing tile and tub were left in place, but covered up with a new look. The installing plumber also re-plumbed the tub via knocking out most of the wall where inlet pipe is located, making certain there had been no leaks (no dry rot!) in that area, and then replacing the drywall. All of this was then covered up by the acrylic cover. They also installed new fixtures (faucet and shower). The acrylic cover actually drops over the existing tub, which gives the cover "substance" and the second piece wraps around the wall (three sides) with glass doors to complete the package. Caulking runs between the tub and wall modules, as well as around the whole perimeter of the tub and wall surround. I suspect we could have beat the high price we paid Bathfitters by shopping around but we were anxious to get the job underway...and we are pleased with the quality of the material and the job.

By the way, this is NOT a plug for Bathfitters. I simply put their name down to demonstrate how this task was accomplished. Coincidentally, there is a thread in this forum that pertains to Bathfitters specifically--and I've added my comments to that thread, too.

Perhaps you can find one of these acrylic kits to "do it yourself" and save yourselves the frustration of trying to repair that current ceramic (?) tile and tub. At least you wouldn't have to rip out the existing tub.

Our solution was to hire Bathfitters to come in and cover the existing tub and ceramic tiled wall (clear to the ceiling, too) with an acrylic cover. Unfortunately, this was mucho expensive...like, hugely expensive...but it's done and it looks fantastic!

I have a tub liner and don't have the $$ to replace it, so I read in several places where I could refinish the tub myself and that's what I did. It was easier to work with 1-Part Epoxy paint, though 2-Part really looks better. If you have the time and energy to mix the 2-Part Epoxy, it will give you a better shine and coat. Two cans of 1-Part Epoxy spray will cost you $35 while ONE can of 2-Part Epoxy will cost you $30. In all I used four cans of paint and was able to cover the tub and entire wall liner as well. One issue I ran into though is I'm finding with the 1-part epoxy, the water does not evaporate as quickly from the tub. I don't have a vent in my shower/tub area, so I could take a shower this morning and the droplets from that shower that were left in the tub are still sitting there. I doubt that this would be the case if I had done the 2-Part Epoxy OR have an air vent in that part of the bathroom. So just be mindful of that. Otherwise it should give you the new and sleek look that you're after without spending a fortune to replace it just now. Let me know what you decide to do.